Oscars 2013: What the Nominees Are Saying

Getty Images

Stars and filmmakers share their thoughts on the good news after Thursday morning's Academy Awards nominations announcement.

The nominees for the 85th Academy Awards were announced early Thursday morning by an unfiltered Seth MacFarlane -- who'll host the ABC telecast on February 24 -- and Emma Stone. Lincoln and Life of Pi lead the pack with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively. The nominees have been sharing their reactions with The Hollywood Reporter, which we'll be updating throughout the morning.

“It’s been an absolutely thrilling morning. I was awoken by [my publicist] telling me about our multiple nominations. It's the best wakeup call I’ve had in 14 years! I’m always surprised by recognition. I’m deeply grateful, and we are so honored by our 12 nominations, especially being in the great company of such amazing films. It’s a great list of nine movies and I’ve seen all of them. I’m looking forward to meeting [Beasts director] Benh Zeitlin and [Amour director] Michael Haneke. Their films and the rest all show such a diversity; such a wide range of risky opportunities. And today their risks have been rewarded.” - Stacey Wilson

Kathleen Kennedy, producer, Lincoln, best picture:

"It’s pretty exciting, though I didn’t wake up in time to turn on TV! [Husband] Frank called me and read me the list. There isn’t anything more gratifying than seeing everyone - the actors, producers, director and writer -- recognized for this film. You get to the point with this campaign process, you try to pace yourself with this long journey... we are just fortunate to have this kind of recognition. Stephen is absolutely thrilled. It’s very much like his directing style- he has enthusiasm for everything. As for choosing a dress, now that I’m going back and forth to San Francisco for my new job, I've literally had one day to think about it. My bedroom is currently full of dresses for the Globes, but I’m not seeing any I really like yet! There’s no question, women have it harder. It becomes a part time job; a high class problem, so we can’t really talk about it. But it’s daunting!" - Stacey Wilson

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables, best actor:

"I hadn't planned to listen live to the announcements, but when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast. To be honest, it's very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet. This is a brilliant awards year that has been defined by an eclectic list of stories that have been told by incredibly talented and courageous filmmakers, and it's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other nominees in the Best Actor category. Having hosted the show, I have seen so many different sides of the Oscars, but to be an actual nominee is something I never would have dreamed possible."

The adaptation of the hit stage musical picked up eight nominations, the third-best showing of any film, including a spot in the best picture category. One notable omission: director Tom Hooper, who won the Oscar two years ago for The King's Speech, didn't get a directing nomination.

Fogelson watched the nominations at his home in Los Angeles, coffee in hand.

"Certainly, all of the indicators that led up to today suggested the film would be recognized in a substantial way. As a person who is in no way objective, I would have loved to have seen Tom and other elements get nominated. But we have one of the most celebrated films of the year, which is on its way to becoming one of the most successful musicals in history," Fogelson told THR. "We have a lot to celebrate."

"If at all possible, you have to keep a healthy perspective. There were great movies that weren't nominated, and not getting nominated shouldn't diminish that." - Pamela McClintock

"I'm beyond grateful, since I didn't know what to expect. I'm especially over the moon for my actors. The fact that Bob (Robert De Niro) and Jacki Weaver were nominated is amazing," David O. Russell tells THR.

"This morning was just a stunner." - Pamela McClintock

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook, best actor:

‘I get up crazy early anyway, and I told myself, ‘Ok, I’ll take my dog to the beach, and just see what happens. Whatever goes down.’ What I forgot is that it’s pitch-black at 5 am! So I watched with my mom and my dog. These things are once in a lifetime. To see Jacki, Jennifer, Robert all recognized…and thank God, David, too. It’s so exciting, it couldn’t have gone better." - Stacey Wilson

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook, best actress:

"I thought I would wake up, but I didn't. My parents spent the night at my house, and they came in and kissed me on the forehead and told me about all the nominations for Silver Linings," Jennifer Lawrence tells THR.

"I went into this because of David [O. Russell]. I've seen everything he's ever done. And I was so blown away by Bradley [Cooper] and the rest of the cast."

This marks Lawrence's second best actress nomination; she received her first two years ago for Winter's Bone, an indie drama that marked her breakout role.

"I plan on enjoying myself this time. Last time, I was just so nervous. I was 20 and new the industry," she says. "I don't want to make the same mistake this time." - Pamela McClintock

"It's a wonderful morning," the Les Miserables actress said from her bedroom floor in L.A., her dog beside her. "I'm still jet-lagged on Europe time because I spent the holidays there, so I've been up for a few hours already unsuccessfully trying to fall back asleep. It's such an honor to be a part of a piece of work that has spread so much love throughout the world. I worked with a fearless cast and was so inspired by them every day. I sent Hugh [Jackman] an email. It's also a bittersweet morning for all of us because [Tom Hooper]'s our captain, and there's no way I'm on the phone with you right now without his influence in my life. He's really happy for us, which is a great feeling." - Brandon Kirby

Ang Lee, producer and director, Life of Pi, best picture, achievement in directing:

"I arrived in Los Angeles yesterday for tonight's Critics' Choice Awards. I was sleeping when my assistant David called with the good news," Lee tells THR. "Here's the thing -- everything about this movie was an uphill battle. And it was a very difficult movie to make, so I didn't really get to celebrate when we finished. I felt more like Pi, lost and exhausted. Just recently, I started to feel rewarded. This week alone has been amazing, between the DGA, BAFTA and Oscar nominations. I feel like I'm being showered with goodwill and encouragement." - Pamela McClintock

Naomi Watts, The Impossible, best actress:

"This was a complete surprise. For the other announcements this season I was in NYC, no problem... I had a proper full night of sleep. There's something about this one, being in L.A., that creates a lot of angst! I had interruptions of sleep all night because of the kids, as if I wasn't restless enough, and each time I woke up I kept thinking, "It's not going to happen.' BAFTA didn’t give us love this week, and I thought they were making the Oscar announcements at 5 am so at ten after, I thought, 'They would have called by now right?' But my publicist texted and said, 'They haven’t made the announcements yet!' I was super lucky too that my name was mentioned first. Usually I'm at the end of lists. Overall, it's very thrilling, especially in a year with so many incredible performances." - Stacey Wilson

Sally Field, Lincoln, best supporting actress:

"I was at the Bel Air Hotel, and my youngest son pounded on the door at 5:30 or whatever it was. I just feel thrilled, overwhelmed, spinning. It's been an amazing journey. I feel so honored, along with the whole Lincoln tribe. Today's a busy day. We have the the Critics Choice awards tonight. Lincoln has 13 nominations [a record]. We have two tables. I'm sure it'll be a huge, drunken brawl. Not a brawl! A revel. We're not a team of rivals, we're a team of comrades. Like people who survived a battle. My career is a wild ride. I haven't been to the Oscars in quite some time. When I went there in the '80s, I walked into a store and just bought a dress. Now, part of me is like a 12-year-old. All these designers want to design me something. I say, what? Are you kidding me? It's amazing." -

Alan Arkin, Argo, best supporting actor:

"I got about six emails this morning that said stuff like, ‘Yippee!’ and ‘Hurray!’ I didn’t know what they were talking about. No, it's thrilling. Argo is a brilliant film in every way; brilliantly directed. It’s really the work of an old master, rather than a young director. It’s about important things; solving an international crisis with creativity, without a single shot fired in the process. I haven’t done much to celebrate yet, though I did just have a rice cake with two fried eggs. Yeah, it's crazy over here, but I think I can handle it.” - Stacey Wilson

"I was deeply deeply asleep when the news came in this morning and the dog was the first one to get celebratory love from me and my boyfriend! I’m really really happy and feel this is a good sign that people like the spirit this character embodies. This film is definitely counter-programming to a lot of the pain and harshness in the world. It's too bad that John [Hawkes] wasn't recognized, but that doesn't take away from the brilliance of his performance one bit." - Stacey Wilson

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook, best supporting actress:

"I arrived here from Australia just yesterday and this was the last thing I expected. I turned on TV this morning – I couldn’t sleep from being jet-lagged - and couldn’t believe it and said something very unprintable to myself! I think the film is very identifiable even if you don’t have those exact problems. We know people, we are related people as neighbors who have them. There are issues we can all identify with -- broken hearts, mental illness, sports as religion. I was recently interviewed by a British journalist, and he wanted to talk about the mental illness in the movie and. I wondered to him, ‘This film is very American. Do you think Brits and Australians are going to get it?’ He said, ‘Oh my God, yes. The themes are universal.’ I'm so proud of this movie." - Stacey Wilson

John Gatins, screenwriter, Flight, best original screenplay:

"I was in bed with my wife staring at the screen, marveling at how beautiful Emma Stone looked. Then it was, Omigod, Emma Stone just said my name! And she pronounced it right! No one ever pronounces it right. They say GAW-tin, and it's GATE-in. I've never been to the Oscars before. It would be nice to see Denzel there, since he got nominated too. There were so many great movies this year -- I saw more movies in a theater than I have in many years, every weekend another good one. So when Sam Rubin of KTLA told me, 'You're going to the Oscars,' I said, 'Uh, yeah, right, have you seen the competition out there this year?' I got into a great email exchange with Roger Ebert about the movie. After 12 years of working on it, this is an unbelievably nice surprise." - Timothy Appelo

"I was in a car with my wife and my parents [Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola] and got a text from a friend telling me [about the nom]. My mom does this celebratory bark. It's like a seal. A woof. Once in a while she'll bring it out. Very festive. It was totally thrilling -- it's hard to express. Unless you can bark." - Timothy Appelo

Eric Fellner, co-chairman of Working Title, the company behind Les Miserables (best picture) and Anna Karenina:

In London, Eric Fellner, the co-chairman of British production company Working Title, was housed in a theatre working with Ron Howard on the final cut of the director’s latest movie, Rush, when he got word that the company’s big period epics, Les Miserables and Anna Karenina, garnered 12 nominations.

“I rushed back from Rush,” he quipped, recounting his dash back to the office in order to cheer with his execs.

“To have two films in one year recognized in this way is a great thing” he said. “It’s very exciting for us here in the UK to go out and make challenging British films and for them to do not only business but also to be recognized by our peers and the Academy.”

The producer, however, wasn’t just shocked that Tom Hooper was snubbed by not receiving an nomination for best director, but scratching his head why Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow were also not on the list.

“The big talk is that three of the five DGA nominees were not nominated. I think all three directors did an amazing job. I was really quite shocked that Ben, Tom and Kathryn weren’t nominated.”

Asked for theories, he responded: “I have no idea. One has to respect the Academy and respect the voting. It is what it is. I wish I knew. It’s really weird, isn’t it?"

Fellner said he doesn’t have that much time to celebrate as since he’ll be packing for an 11-hour plane ride to LA for this weekend’s Golden Globes. But for the Oscars, “maybe I’ll splurge for a new suit,” he said. - Borys Kit

Michael Gottwald, producer, Beasts of the Southern Wild, best picture:

Michael Gottwald, his fellow Beasts of the Southern Wild producers and director Behn Zeitlin were all together on Wednesday morning, up early to watch the nominations from a hotel room in Los Angeles. “We stayed up pretty late last night just reminiscing about the whole crazy journey. It was a really cool way to cap off the whole year and the journey of the film,” he says.

They turned on the TV at about 5:25 a.m. and “actually freaked out for about 15 minutes straight” as the film received four nominations, including best picture. They then went up to 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis’ room to celebrate her nomination with her and her mother. Gottwald says he takes special pride in being “ part of the team that’s responsible for bringing her into this world and showing off her talent, which is so natural and which maybe otherwise would never have gotten tapped for film had we not done a thorough search for this one role.” - Rebecca Ford

Margaret Ménégoz, producer, Amour, best picture and foreign film:

"The whole crew was around the computer in Paris about 2:30 p.m. when we heard. We'll open a bottle of champagne, Bollinger. Impossible! For a small European film entirely shot in one apartment, with a very difficult theme, to get a nomination for best film. There will be a change. The next film for Michael Haneke will be easier. The producers will be listening more carefully. This is not only good news for our film, also for our common future. This is the most important prize you can win in your life." - Timothy Appelo

Seth MacFarlane, Oscars host, nominated for best original song ("Everybody Needs a Best Friend," Ted):

"First an Oscar nomination, then I find a basically brand-new queen mattress on my drive home. This is an incredible day."

Mychael Danna, composer, Life of Pi, best original score, best original song ("Pi's Lullaby"):

"It's kind of beyond words. A more emotional thing than I expected. Our plane got in late, we didn't get a chance to dream, we went to bed for a couple hours and the phone woke us up. I didn't get much sleep so I'll probably gonna look a little fagged today. But making up with it with a big smile. One of the premiere moments of my life, I've got to say." - Timothy Appelo

"This amazing recognition from the Academy is the craziest wake-up call I’ve ever received. I'm very grateful to Jim Brooks, Al Jean - and especially Matt Groening, for creating The Simpsons. They all gave me the opportunity to explore the world of pantomime with what are normally very verbal characters. I also have to give a shout-out to my parents -- who I just spoke to -- and thank them for allowing me to draw on the walls as a child. It kind of worked out!"

Rich More, director, Wreck-It Ralph, best animated feature:

Wreck-It Ralph director Rich Moore had trouble sleeping the night before the nominations so was up at 5 AM, in the living room of his Burbank home. He watched the pre-show on E! and then, with surprise and delight, heard his movie amid the nominees for best animated film.

“I was in absolute shock,” Moore said. It felt surreal and exiting. I’m so happy and so proud of the movie, the crew and the studio.”

To him, the nomination signals the nearing end of the long process that began four years when he started making the movie: “It feels like 11 PM on Christmas Day. The holiday is almost over.”

He added: The nomination is a is wonderful way for the whole journey to close up.”

Ralph is still rolling out around the world -- England and Japan are two of the countries that will be opening the feature in the coming two months -- but Moore said his voice team of John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman have expressed a desire to return for a sequel. As has Moore.

“I would love the chance to explore other stories in the world of Ralph,” he said. “We’ve talked about it a little bit, but noting official at this time.” - Borys Kit

Sarah Greenwood, production designer, and Katie Spencer, set decorator, Anna Karenina, achievement in production design:

“Choosing to do the film in a theater setting was very last minute -- we were 12 weeks from the shoot,” production design Sarah Greenwood said, noting that it would have been problematic to shoot on location in different countries due to the budget constraints, and director Joe Wright had the idea to set the film in a theater. “It was invigorating, a novel approach. We knew it would work or fall flat. To be recognized is amazing.”

She and set decorator Katie Spencer already received emails from Wright.

“He said were the best team in the world,” Spencer said, noting that the close-knit team on the film included fellow nominees Seamus McGarvey (cinematography), Jaqueline Durran (costume design) and Dario Marianelli (score). She credited Wright for the nominations.

“We are a team who works with Joe. He is the ringmaster.” - Carolyn Giardina

“At LAIKA we were trying to do something different, to make the kind of movie no one else is making,” said ParaNorman’s co-director and writer Chris Butler. “I’m still in shock. It was a risk on Travis Knight’s [LAIKA CEO and ParaNorman producer and lead animator] part.”

“In a way, we are the little outsider film,” admitted co-director Sam Fell, pointing out that LAIKA is a smaller, independent studio. In the end, this sophomore feature from the Portland, Ore.-based studio also marks its second Oscar nomination; the first was Coraline.

Being different perhaps underscores a theme of ParaNorman, which Fell described as “what make you weird is what makes you wonderful.”

Butler added that seeing for the first time that three of the five category nominees used the century-old stop motion technique was “amazing considering [stop-motion] is the underdog in the animated feature world. … I think it does definitely says something about how people feel about the medium, that they appreciate the Herculean effort that goes into making one of these. I think stop motion has a beauty that is unique. It is hugely encouraging to have that noticed.” - Carolyn Giardina

"I was really shocked and stunned in the best way. Especially for Benh [Zeitlin], he's my best friend. I just genuinely wasn't expecting any of this. I was doing yoga waiting for my laundry to dry, and my boyfriend turned the TV on even though I really didn't want him to. I just wanted to steer clear. I haven't even thought about what the Oscars will be like." - Brandon Kirby

Peter Lord, director, ThePirates! Band of Misfits, best animated film:

Peter Lord, the director of Pirates! Band of Misfits, wasn’t even aware the Oscar nominations were being announced today, coming back to his desk after a leisurely lunch in London, where Aardman Animation is based.

“I had kind of given up, you know?” Lord said. “The movie came out in March, after all.”

He then heard a lot of yelling from another room and someone burst into his room with the news the movie had been nominated in the best animated film category.

“I’m just delighted. We were very low key and (the movie) wasn’t shoved down people’s throats. I’m happy people remembered it fondly from when it was out.”

One aspect that Lord marvels about is the strong resurgence of stop-motion – Frankenweenie and ParaNorman join Pirates! as fellow nominees that were produced in the old-school medium.

“It is downright bizarre,” he said, “but it does seem that there is more stop motion than ever in history.”

He praised stop-motion for having a magic touch that CG animation, as good as it is, can’t match.

“It’s an illusion, like all animation, but it’s an illusion it’s made by hand, and because it takes so long, made by love. It has fingerprints on it, it has the human touch. And the audience knows that it’s tangible. With CG, you can do anything and you can do it beautifully but our brains instantly tell us that it isn’t real.” - Borys Kit

Director of photography Seamus McGarvey is in Vancouver shooting Godzilla with director Garreth Edwards. Yesterday the pair entered into a $100 bet when Edwards predicted that McGarvey would earn an Oscar nomination, and McGarvey bet that he would not.

After McGarvey’s Vancouver apartment had a power outage around the time that the nominations were announced, he got the news from Edwards, saying “You owe me.”

“It was the best wager I’ll ever pay,” McGarvey chuckled. “I’m honored and humbled to be with the cinematographers nominated alongside.”

This is McGarvey’s second nomination for a collaboration with director Joe Wright, as he was previously nominated for Atonement. “Joe is like a fellow cinematographer,” he said, explaining that Wright maintains and encourages close collaboration with the entire team (Anna Karenina also received nominations for production design, costumes and score). “The work always has a unique feel and he encourages us to work very closely. The cinematography has a logic and is stronger for that.” - Carolyn Giardina

William Goldenberg, editor, Argo, achievement in film editing:

William Goldenberg will celebrate his nomination for achievement in film editing for Argo with a weekend packed with other awards events including the Critics’ Choice Awards, the AFI luncheon and Golden Globes parties.

“I literally have to go pick up my clothes. I got a new suit,” he says. “My clothes for editing are not high fashion. I think jeans and a t-shirt wasn’t going to work.“

Nominated twice before (for 2003’s Seabiscuit and 1999’s The Insider), Goldenberg says this year will be a new experience not for him – but for his wife. She was pregnant during the other two awards seasons and couldn’t attend all the events. “I’m most excited for her because she gets to wear a really great dress and doesn’t have to be worried about the pregnant part,” she says. --Rebecca Ford

"[Producer] Bruce Cohen called me to say we were nominated. I have to admit that I was asleep. I'm so pleased that everybody got recognized. But you just go on to the next job. I worked with Steve Zaillian on a project last month. The Oscar night itself is such a thing, you don't really get to talk to people. The luncheon, that's when you tend to meet people. So relaxed, no pressure. I remember meeting Casey Affleck there. I still have my tux from the year I got nominated for Into the Wild. I bought the tux in 2000. Maybe I'll have to upgrade this year." - Timothy Appelo

“Visual effects is such a team effort; it represents great work on the part of lot people,” said first time nominee Jeff White, who was the VFX supervisor at ILM on The Avengers, which used an estimated 13 VFX houses.

“I’m really excited,” he said, saying that his 2-year-old woke him up with the news of the nomination. “It’s great to see so many good films nominated. It was a strong year for VFX. I feel very lucky.”

This morning White was heading to ILM. “They poured their hearts into this,” he said. “It will be great to see the crew.” - Carolyn Giardina

"I was in bed, and I thought someone was going to call me at 5:30, and then no one did. Then I went online, and realized we were nominated. It's crazy and surreal. To me, the Oscars were this mythological word, they don't really exist. It's a fantasy, a dream. Now I'm living it." - Brandon Kirby

Kirby Dick, director, The Invisible War, best documentary feature:

"It's an honor, but what's more important is that rape in the military is still a burning issue and one that we can profoundly impact by changing policies within the military. Today, on the day the Oscar nominations are announced, 50 more men and women will be sexually assaulted in the military, according to the Department of Defense estimates. We hope the attention this nomination brings will send a message to the Department to protect our women and men in uniform."

Dror Moreh, director, The Gatekeepers, best documentary feature:

"I'm in my production office in Israel right now. It's nearly 7 p.m., and I came there and we waited for the nominations to be announced but was disappointed they didn't include the Best Documentary category. I don't want to sound corny, and you can site all the cliches in the world to explain what I'm feeling. It feels amazing. It's everything. I'm excited to attend the Oscars and see a lot of movie stars and brilliant directors. To be on the same platform as them is a great honor, to be marching on the same red carpet as them." - Brandon Kirby

"30 years in the making and 3 days in the writing -- this is how 'Suddenly' came to life 30 years after the original show was created. We wrote this song for the film on a suggestion from Tom Hooper, after he asked us to revisit a specific chapter of Victor Hugo's novel. In this chapter Jean Valjean discovers an overwhelming feeling of love for the little girl Cosette, whom he rescues as promised to her mother - and this happened to him ... 'Suddenly.'"

Joachim Roenning, director, Kon-Tiki, best foreign-language film:

"I did not dare to watch it live. I was in bed with my wife, constantly waiting for [publicist] Tatiana Detlofson's call. I screamed and ran out into the hallway of the hotel and woke up at least two floors. We [Ronning and longtime co-director Espen Sandberg] brought our wives and kids over from Norway. We spent four years making this film, so we're going to ask the kids how they want to celebrate this. My guess is they want to go to Disneyland. We're meeting with Lasse Halstrom Saturday, he's hosting a symposium for the Globes, one of our big heroes. At the Oscars, we're hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Spielberg." - Timothy Appelo

Nikolaj Arcel, director/co-writer, A Royal Affair, best foreign-language film:

"I couldn't really sleep. I was up until 3:30 drinking a lot of coffee. When I heard I was jumping up and down screaming. The Danish press has been calling all morning. I didn't realize, but you have a lot of work to do when you're nominated for an Academy Award. In Denmark you watch the Oscars from far, far away, and I've been watching them my entire life. It's hard to believe that little Denmark is going so far. And Kon-Tiki getting nominated! I think Norway is really coming into its own the last couple of years." - Timothy Appelo

Kim Nguyen, director, War Witch, best foreign-language film:

"They said it was going to be alphabetical and as soon as they said Chile we were like, 'Aw, darn that¹s it. We¹re done.' And then somehow, it got mixed up and they said 'Canada - War Witch.' This is something that we never planned for and are really ecstatic." - Etan Vlessing

Robert Richardson, director of photography, Django Unchained, achievement in cinematography:

Robert Richardson has been busy taking care of his 28-week pregnant wife, who is on bed rest, so the news of his nomination brought special joy to his growing family.

“This brought a little bit of a smile to her face,” says the three-time Oscar winner of his wife. “She was giggling. She tried to get up, and I told her to get back down. She said, ‘I want to hug you!’"

Richardson says this nomination is unique to him because it’s for Quentin Tarantino’s film. “Quentin shoots his movies. I may be a director of photography, but Quentin is very much a part of every decision made,” he says. - Rebecca Ford

Yan England, actor and director, Henry, best live-action short:

"I was so excited when I heard the news. I had tears in my eyes and then my legs went weak. It¹s a dream come true and I will now see how I can make my film available so that as many people as possible can see it." - Etan Vlessing

"My wife woke me up with the news. Weta also had one person each on The Avengers and Prometheus, so that's three in one year. It doesn't happen every day. This is the seventh time I've been nominated, and every time you feel, it doesn't get any better than this. We're going to have a little champagne, not too much. Veuve Clicquot or Taittinger." - Timothy Appelo

Dario Marianelli, composer, Anna Karenina, best original score:

"I'm in London, it's 1:30, and 50 messages have arrived with congratulations. It's my third time. I'm going to open a bottle tonight and get modestly drunk. I'm looking forward to meeting Thomas Newman. I'm the youngest one [of the nominees], which is nice. I'm the kid. I'm 49." - Timothy Appelo

Alexandre Desplat, composer, Argo, best original score:

"An Oscar nomination is wonderful, because it expresses the respect of the group that is like your second family -- the people you want to be respected by. Tonight is the Critics Choice Awards, I'm sure we'll share some drinks. It's a great thing, because a composer's life is very lonesome. You're in a room alone. It's great to meet the real people off the screen. And the great thing about being a composer is, your face is not as exposed. You can try to get to the supermarket without being chased by young fans." - Timothy Appelo

Sean Fine, director, Inocente, documentary short:

"We're blown away. We were with Dominic, one of the kids in War/Dance, our previous Oscar nominated film, about child warriors in Uganda — he was abducted as a young child. We became his guardians, and he's home on break from college. We were with him at our other kid's kindergarten, where he was playing xylophone and talking about Uganda. What the nominations do for the people in our films is amazing. It got Dominic a scholarship. It got him from Uganda to Franklin & Marshall College." - Timothy Appelo

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook, best actor:

"I am very pleased that the Academy has chosen to honor the many individuals who were a part of Silver Linings Playbook."

“I am very happy and gratified by the Oscar nominations that Amour has received today, and that the voting members of the Academy have taken the film so strongly to their hearts. It is fulfilling to discover that a film has found the audience and critical acclaim that Amour has garnered. I have been very fortunate on both those fronts, but it is especially rewarding to discover that a film has found favor among one’s industry peers who know, in particular, the effort that goes into getting a film – any film – made. I am also especially happy for all the people who made Amour with me. It is a joyous occasion for us all. Many thanks.”

Tim Burton, director, Frankenweenie, best animated feature:

"Frankenweenie is a very personal film for me. The idea of telling a feature length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop Motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I've always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality. I've worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I'm so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees."

“We would like to thank the Academy for acknowledging Argo in this extraordinary way. This is a great tribute to everyone who worked on the film -- from our incredible cast to our tremendous crew. We are honored to have made a film that tells the story of these unsung heroes and it's so terrific that it's getting this kind of recognition.”

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour, best actress:

“I am truly happy, touched, and honored to receive, today in New York, a nomination for the role of Anne in Amour by Michael Haneke. For me, it is an immense gift, at this stage of my life, to be chosen by my sisters and brothers, for what I do as an actress. I never thought, while working throughout the years in Europe and France, that one day, i would cross the Atlantic Ocean, come to the United States, and be nominated. It is quite surreal for me. Shooting Amour with Michael Haneke was a complete joy for me, as I felt an absolute trust in him and we were in complete synch. Michael is the very music of his own film.”

“I am blown away! I can't say thank you enough to the Academy for their support of our films. We have a tremendous group of actors and film makers who we had the pleasure of working with this year and I am so happy that their achievements are being recognized.“

Tom Hooper, director, Les Miserables:

“What a wonderful year for movies when nine films with this kind of diversity get acknowledged for the industry's highest honor. I am so proud that Les Miserables joins them and that the Academy noted the magnificent work from Hugh, Annie, our legendary song writers and the superlative crafts experts whose work made our film what it was.”

"Thank you to the Academy for these incredible honors. And thank you to the writers who have honored me today with their generosity and to the academy for the Best Picture nomination. None of us would be so honored today without the genius and remarkable talent of Kathryn Bigelow, and to her we are forever grateful."

Michael Barker, co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics, distributor of Amour and No (best foreign-language film) and The Gatekeepers and Searching for Sugar Man (best documentary feature):

"Eight nominations! We're thrilled. I'm walking onto a plane at JFK, and I'm definitely the only person at JFK who gave out a huge whoop when Amour got five nominations. And then to get No, and the two docs, The Gatekeepers and Searching for Sugar Man. But it's always bittersweet. There's always some disappointment. I'm devastated Marion Cotillard didn't make it for best actress."